


That Makes Two of Us

by aerinth



Category: Naruto
Genre: Bickering, Emotional Baggage, Established Relationship, F/M, One Shot, One-Sided Attraction, POV Second Person, Past Relationship(s), Reader-Insert, Sour then Sweet, Team Feels, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, moody boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27701441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerinth/pseuds/aerinth
Summary: After the Hokage sends Shikamaru, Kiba and yourself on a time-sensitive mission, your two partners can't seem to agree on a proper plan of action. As it turns out, their disagreement doesn't have much to do with the mission at all.
Relationships: Inuzuka Kiba/Reader, Nara Shikamaru/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 47





	That Makes Two of Us

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr for a request asked [here!](https://aerinth.tumblr.com/post/630440972212371456/omg-i-loved-your-kiba-headcanons-and-was-wondering)
> 
> Warning that there is very brief mentions of previous injury, surgery, medication and hospitalization.

“Shikamaru, this isn’t working! We’re running out of time!”

“Just shut-up, will you? We’re _not_ splitting up.”

Your shoulders tensed, but you didn’t let your feet slow beneath you. As much as you found yourself thinking, ‘ _Not this again,’_ you had to agree with Kiba: you were running out of time to make this mission a success. 

It was just the other day that Lady Tsunade had collected Kiba, Shikamaru and you in her office and informed you of a time-sensitive mission that had come in from a nearby village. Apparently you were the only three shinobi she could spare at the moment and the urgency of the assignment didn’t give the option to wait for someone else to come available. 

You hadn’t had any doubts at first. Kiba, Shikamaru and you were the same age. You had been in the same class at the academy and you had worked together before. You were familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and most of all you were _friends_. Which meant even with just the three of you, you would all do your best to have each other’s backs.

But then-

“You know, you’re really starting to _piss me off_.”

“Yeah? I guess that makes two of us.”

A pair of sandals and four fluffy paws came to a skidding, heavy stop on the top of a thick tree branch. With the momentum you had built, you almost blew right past the two boys. You landed beside Akamaru with an ungraceful thud, rattled by the sudden change in pace. Sliding from the dog’s back, Kiba stepped towards Shikamaru with a snarl on his lips.

“ _Damn it, Shikamaru_. This isn’t something you can half-ass like you usually do! Have you forgotten that people’s lives are at risk!?”

Kiba’s words came out with a bite that stung like a paper-cut doused with lemon juice. Outwardly, Shikamaru was unbothered, but with his words he responded about as pleasantly. 

“Have you forgotten that so are ours?” His eyes were dark and impatient, and overall he looked plain fed-up. “We’re already down a man; I’m not risking anyone’s safety just so you can _show off._ ”

Kiba let out a deep growl and you had to place a hand on his shoulder to keep him from charging. It didn’t help that Akamaru was now matching Kiba’s energy and flashing his fangs at the raven-haired boy; he didn’t like being discounted as a member of the squad. 

Shikamaru and Kiba hadn’t started the mission like this, but as the sun started to set on the little village you were supposed to be protecting, and you still hadn’t found your target, tension between the two chunin started to run higher and higher. 

It was a tricky one for sure. Even with their heightened sense of smell, Akamaru and Kiba couldn’t get a trace on the target (which only added to his frustrations). Kiba had made the suggestion for you to each search a different section of the forest surrounding the village. He argued that it would decrease the target’s opportunities to evade your group, and possibly even back them into a corner where they’d have no choice but to fight you three. It was honestly a pretty good plan, so you were surprised when Shikamaru shot it down without a second thought. It wasn’t like him to pass up a strategy that would save both time and effort. You knew Shikamaru could be headstrong and stubborn, but you had to admit he was being unusually obstinate. On the flip side though, Kiba seemed to be taking Shikamaru’s rejection strangely personally. 

“Don’t give me that crap,” Kiba grimaced, fighting your hold on his arm. “You know that isn’t what this is about.” 

You could practically feel the heat of anger radiating off of him. When the fighting between your two teammates had started, you yourself had wondered if Shikamaru’s quick veto of Kiba’s plan and Kiba’s oddly emotional response was rooted in something deeper than an urgent mission. Now it appeared that you had been right, and Kiba had already been thinking the same thing. 

Your break-up with Shikamaru felt like ages ago. In some sense, it was; you had still been a genin at the time. Even if only a handful of literal years had passed since then, emotionally you were now very different people than you were back then, and in very different places in your life. But you knew that even broken hearts weren’t easily changed. At the time, you had thought the break-up with Shikamaru was mutual, but after your relationship with Kiba began, Shikamaru’s words got a little shorter and his walls got a little higher. You quickly realized that Shikamaru had not let go in the same way you had, and there was a part of him that was still hopeful. A part that was still waiting for you. 

Kiba had realized this too. Usually, he was pretty understanding about it. Everyone knows it sucks to carry around a broken heart, and he wasn’t going to fault Shikamaru for having feelings. As long as Shikamaru didn’t act on them, everything was cool. _However,_ dismissing Kiba’s idea without giving it a shred of consideration -while on a mission with you- _was_ acting on those feelings, according to Kiba, and he was _not_ happy about it. 

The fire in Kiba’s eyes was frightening; he looked ready to fight. Had you been anyone else, you might have stepped back, but you knew Kiba would never do anything to harm you. Even in his anger, he was very aware of your presence so close to him. It was the only thing keeping him grounded at this point.

Shikamaru remained unfazed by Kiba’s snapping jaws. With his arms crossed, he shifted his gaze so he wasn’t even looking at Kiba. He stared up to the sky, as if he really were just bored by all of this. “You want a different answer? Fine. Then how about because I’m the leader of this squad and _I say so_. That good enough for you?”

Asserting power like that was a dick move, but you also knew he was just baiting Kiba at this point. Unfortunately it worked, and Kiba tore from your hold with such ferocity that it startled a bark out of Akamaru. 

“You _prick-_ ”

Your feet moved as fast as they could, and you planted yourself between the two boys before anyone could land a blow. With a deep scowl on your face, you eyed them both. “Would the two of you just _cool it,_ please? We need to stay focused.”

Your words held power between them. Even though they weren’t happy about being shut-down, they both turned away from each other at your command and sighed in unison.

“ _Tch._ ”

“ _What a drag._ ”

It was the closest thing to a _‘Yes ma’am’_ you were ever going to get, so you took it with a satisfied nod; even Akamaru had packed up his snarl. Your expression softened and you took a few deep breaths, hoping the boys would mirror your action. “Look, we’re not going to accomplish anything acting like this, so why don’t we just take a _quick_ ” -you emphasized the quick because time seemed to be a touchy subject at the moment- “break and come back to this later? Hm?” 

Your eyes darted back and forth between the two boys. Neither gave objections, but just to be sure you turned towards your ex-boyfriend and asked, “Sound good, Shikamaru?”

You might have thought he was being a butthead at the moment, but he was still the leader of the squad and you weren’t trying to undermine his position or experience; he didn’t need two people doing that. 

He didn’t look at you when he shrugged, “Yeah, whatever.” 

You heard Kiba give a disapproving snort from behind you. You spun on your feet just in time to see him marching into the forest. You could almost see the chip on his shoulder, and it only grew larger when you asked where he was going with a bit of a tired voice. 

“I’m going to cool off,” he barked through grit teeth. “It’s suffocating over here. C’mon Akamaru.” 

The ninken shuffled after him after giving you a hesitant look. It was clear that Kiba wasn’t happy that you had sought Shikamaru’s approval just now, but you’d have to deal with that later. You spun back around with every intention of laying into Shikamaru for his crappy attitude, only to find that he too had disappeared into the trees and you were now standing alone in the middle of the woods. Wasn’t that what Shikamaru _hadn’t_ wanted? You let out a low groan. 

“Great,” you muttered before taking in another deep breath. You weren’t excited about all the damage control you had to do now. 

You opted for following Shikamaru first, only because smoothing things over with Kiba and then saying, _‘Ok, love ya, now let me go check-up on Shika,’_ was bound to start the fighting all over. Better to just deal with Shikamaru now and give Kiba space to sort himself out for the time being. 

You may not have been dating Shikamaru anymore, but that didn’t mean you didn’t care about him either. You understood where he was coming from, you really did. As the first of your class to be named chunin, and with a reputation for being ridiculously intelligent, Shikamaru had been shouldered with a lot of responsibilities over the past years. It was his job to make sure the mission got done and that you all got home safe; that wasn’t a weightless burden to bear. 

But just because you understood him, didn’t mean you were going to go easy on him. 

“Think you could check your ego for a minute, _squad leader_?” you spat when you finally found Shikamaru laying down in a clearing. “You two _are_ friends, y’know?”

He kept his gaze on the sky. It was just now turning from a warm orange to a soft purple. “Tch, why don’t you tell him that?”

You rolled your eyes; what a typical, avoidant, Shikamaru response. 

“I’ll deal with him later, but right now I’m talking to you,” you said with a little scowl. “The longer we take to find the target, the more the people of this village are put in danger. I know _you_ don’t think so, but with Akamaru there _are_ four of us and we can use our numbers to get this over with as soon as possible; it _is_ a good idea.”

Shikamaru spoke again so quickly, he was practically cutting you off. “It’s a _stupid_ idea,” he snapped. His mouth dropped into a heavy frown. “The second we split up, we open ourselves to being singled out by the target, and none of us are strong enough to handle them on our own. I know that the mission is to protect the village, but that won’t mean anything if _we_ get picked clean.”

Your face lightened as you gave his words some thought. He had a point that it was riskier, but you weren’t sure he was really weighing the options honestly. You didn’t think any of you were _incapable_ of taking on this target alone. It wasn’t ideal, but none of you were so weak that you couldn’t hold the target off until someone else arrived for back-up. As you thought this over you mumbled under your breath, “Yeesh, you’re not really giving us a lot of credit…”

You hadn’t intended for him to hear it, but all the same he did and he bolted upright with narrowed brows. He turned to you, and for the first time in the conversation his eyes found yours. “We’re _not doing it,_ alright?”

The bite to his words instantly put you back on the defensive. 

With your hands on your hips you let out a huff, and clicked your tongue for good measure. “You’re being _stubborn-_ ”

Shikamaru didn’t give you the chance to finish. 

“Dammit (Y/n), _I’m not going to put you at risk again!_ ”

Your body went rigid. His words hit your core with the strength and surprise of a right hook. You could tell something else had been bothering him, and you suddenly wanted to kick yourself for not putting together the pieces sooner. 

He was worried about _you_. He was worried about you getting hurt, again.

It felt like so long ago to you now, you hadn’t even thought about it. But now that your brain was making the connections, you could hardly believe you had forgotten. 

It was one of Shikamaru’s earliest missions as a chunin. You were still dating at the time, and he had been assigned to lead you and the other members of your team after your own sensei was confined to bed rest after a nasty fight. It wasn’t supposed to be a dangerous mission. There weren’t supposed to be any big, risk-your-life battles. But that’s how it always goes isn’t it? You get hit the hardest when you’re the least prepared. 

A dangerous storm had been ripping through the southern parts of the Land of Fire for days, and a small village by the water was destined to flood. Your only job was to evacuate the people safely and help them seek shelter in nearby towns and other villages; the only issue was that no single village was equipped to take in all of the people stranded by the flood. With the storm only growing stronger, the decision to split up was made out of necessity. You each led a small group to safety and then planned to reconvene at the meet-up location late that night. 

Only, you never made it. 

Your mouth suddenly felt very dry as you tried to speak again. “Shikamaru…” You couldn’t seem to get the words out. “I’m not-”

“I know,” he cut in again. “You’re not that little girl anymore. You’ve gotten stronger.” 

Yes, that was what you were going to tell him. Exactly. So, why did it seem like Shikamaru still had more he needed to say?

Shikamaru dropped his head, letting out a slow breath. When he spoke, his words came out soft and cautiously, like he was worried they would break in the air between you. 

“You’re right,” he said. “You’re not that girl, and you have gotten a lot stronger, but-” He bit his lip. He didn’t know if he could say what he wanted to. He knew he had crossed the boundaries of your relationship already today, so instead he settled for asking, “Do you remember what I said to you? That day in the hospital.”

You sucked in a quick breath of air as your mind went reeling back to one of the worst days of your life.

You had been in so much pain, almost everything was a blur. Surgery had to be done on several parts of your limbs, and the amount of medication they had to put into you made you wretch from nausea. Tsunade said it was a miracle Shikamaru and your teammates had even been able to get you back to the village in time. She never blamed Shikamaru. Neither did you for that matter. All of the villagers had made it to safety, and the attack on you was honestly bad luck. A fluke almost. There was no way Tsunade, Shikamaru, or anyone for that matter, could have known an S-ranked criminal assassin was lurking in the rain of the storm. Not until he crossed right into your path back to your team.

They allowed Shikamaru into your room after you stabilized and were expected to recover with time and attentive medical care. You were still pretty out of it, but you remembered the feeling of his hand slipping into yours. And you remembered the sound of his voice, and the words he spoke, as if he were speaking them again right in front of you again. 

_I won’t let this happen to you ever again._

You should have realized sooner that Shikamaru was still carrying that promise with him. When you didn’t say anything, Shikamaru knew you had remembered his words and he tried to speak.

“What if I’m-” He had to stop himself before he risked choking out a sob, but you knew what he was going to say. 

_What if I’m not strong enough to save you?_

You felt your heart drop. You knew how scared you had been that day, but you had never known how scared Shikamaru was. You wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to be strong enough. That you could handle yourself and that something like that would never happen again, but you knew you couldn’t make that promise. No shinobi ever could. 

Shikamaru, seeming to know what you were unable to say, spoke up again. “I want to keep everyone safe.”

_I want to keep you safe._

You may not have been dating Shikamaru anymore, but you definitely still cared about him and he clearly still cared about you. For such a lazy shinobi, you had always known he had a big heart. You knew he only ever did what he thought was best. 

With a gentle smile, you placed a warm hand on Shikamaru’s arm. 

“You know, Kiba does too.” Your words were soft and reassuring. “You might be butting heads right now, but he wouldn’t be making the suggestion if he didn’t think you were strong enough to handle whatever happens next. He trusts you, Shikamaru. So maybe you should try trusting him.”

Shikamaru’s eyes widened a little, taken aback by the certainty in your words. You turned to give him some space for now, but he stopped you just as you stepped to leave.

“Do you?” he asked.

“Hm?” You gave a small tilt of your head, not sure you understood what he’s asking.  
  
“Do you still trust me?”

There was genuine fear in his tone. Fear that you might say no. But you didn’t even need to think about it before you turned to him with shining (e/c) eyes and responded, “I do.”

In your smile, he could hear the words you really meant.

_I never stopped._

You could see the tension in Shikamaru’s shoulder release. You could hear the relief in the sigh that escaped him. When you turned away to head back to the area you left your boyfriend, you left Shikamaru with one final request. “Give Kiba’s idea another thought, okay? For me.”

This time, he didn’t argue. 

You found Kiba not too far away, huddled on the ground with his knees pulled close to his chest. Akamaru was laying beside him, calmly panting out breaths in a steady rhythm. You knew Kiba was still sulking when you saw the lines he was drawing in the dirt with his fingers, and you felt the need to mentally prepare yourself for the conversation. One cranky boy down, one to go.

The sound of your feet alerted Kiba to your presence. He gave a quick glance over his shoulder before turning back around and putting his chin to his knees.

“Look who finally came to check on us, Akamaru.” There was some aggression in Kiba’s tone, but this time Akamaru didn’t mirror it. The oversized hound gave you a glossy-eyed glance before looking back to Kiba, and then dropping his head to his paws. Akamaru was usually instructed to protect you (which you’d always reward him for with head scratches) so he was clearly a little conflicted by all of the tension radiating from his master.

You weren’t too thrilled about it either. 

“Don’t you start with me too,” you said to Kiba as you approached. Your impatience was clear, but that didn’t stop him from throwing another sassy remark over his shoulder at you. 

“I’m sorry. Did your _other_ boyfriend already give you a hard time?”

You had to bite your tongue to not snap something nasty back. The last thing you wanted to do was fight with Kiba- the person you loved. You had hoped his little time out was enough for him to pull himself together and realize he felt the same way, but clearly he needed a little coaching. 

“Would you quit it?” you snipped, though your words were a little softer than before as you took a seat beside him. When he didn’t shy away from the hand you placed on his shoulder, you scooted closer to him. “You know we’re all just trying to do our best here.”

Your gentle touch and the presence of your body next to his did just enough to quell his feisty attitude; he didn’t say anything for a long moment. You could see the gears turning in his head as his eyes narrowed. 

Finally, with his chin still on his knees he murmured, “It’s because he’s afraid you’ll get hurt again, isn’t it?”

Your eyes widened just a little when you looked at him. You hadn’t expected Kiba to pick up on that, considering _you_ hadn’t. Then again, Kiba had always been better at catching onto the small details than you. Sometimes he remembered things you said that even you didn’t recall. It always made you happy, because it proved he was always listening. 

With a little hum, you dropped your eyes to the ground. “Yeah, it is.”

The confirmation only made Kiba stiffen. “Ugh, _damn it_ ,” he barked, tossing a pebble towards the trunk of a tree. “Does he think I _want_ that to happen? Does he think I didn’t consider that too?! It’s so _annoying_.”

You gave him a sympathetic look. You knew it was just his anger talking, but you didn’t like seeing the two friends fighting just because of you. Or fighting over you for that matter. You gave him another gentle squeeze, trying to reassure him as best as you could. 

“Look Kiba, I know it’s hard because you guys were classmates. You were on equal ground for a long time, but Shikamaru is the leader of this mission and whatever decision he makes we have to respect it. If we don’t, we risk something way worse happening.” Your voice was gentle, soothing almost, but it didn’t stop Kiba’s jealousy from trying to boil over again. 

“Oh so you’re defending him now?!” he snapped, his canines showing at the edges of his frown. Akamaru let out a low whimper when he felt your own irritation rising again. 

“Do you hear yourself? You’re acting totally childish.”

Maybe it was harsh, but it seemed to do the trick. Kiba’s snarl faded behind his lips and he let out a deep breath that came out in a bit of a groan. He shifted on his tailbone so he could turn and flop down beside you and lay his head in your lap. When you could feel that he had calmed, you bought a gentle hand to his tuft of brown hair and started running your fingers through it. Just like Akamaru, head scratches were a sure way to help Kiba relax.

With another exhale through his nose, Kiba finally spoke up again. “Sorry for being such a grouch, I just…” -his nose scrunched with just a little irritation when he thought about what he wants to say- “Shikamaru’s really smart, so if he thinks my ideas are dumb I gotta wonder if they actually are. And then I can’t help but think-”

His voice faded, getting swept away with the cool breeze that blew around you as dusk continued to fall on the forest. Again, you found yourself filling in the words yourself. 

“That I think they’re dumb too?”

Kiba winced, like you speaking his thoughts somehow made them come true. 

“Right….” he said with a pained expression. 

Your hand that was running fingers through his messy brown locks stilled when his eyes pulled away from you.

“Kiba, look at me,” you said gently, though it was clearly a command. With a little hesitation, he flashed his dark eyes back to you, and immediately they became lost in yours. Your (e/c) orbs sparkled with such passion, and genuine devotion, he didn’t have a choice but to believe the next words that fell from your lips. 

“I love you. _Only_ you.” You placed a chaste kiss to the top of his nose, just beneath his village headband. “I think you’re brilliant, and nothing is going to change that.”

You saw pink begin to dust Kiba’s cheeks. For such a mouthy guy, he sure was quick to flush. You never had a hard time shutting him up with a little flirting, or a few quick little kisses. 

As you moved to pull away, Kiba’s hand swiftly fell to the back of your neck, keeping your lips close to his. 

“I love you too, (Y/n)” he breathed. “I love you _so_ much.”

You moved your palm to cup his jaw, and your thumb began tracing the lines of his cheekbones softly. He leaned into your warm touch and with a gentle hum stated, “You know we were all really worried that day.” After a moment he corrected, “ _I_ was really worried that day.”

You didn’t need to ask to know he was talking about the day Lady Tsunade saved your life. With a small chuckle, you brushed your nose against his teasingly.

“Oh~ Did you have a little crush on me?” you cooed.

Kiba laughed a little too but when he answered you knew he was being nothing but honest.

“I did,” he said. “I’ve loved you for a _long_ time.” 

You felt a bit of heat rise in your own cheeks at the confession. You had always had suspicions that Kiba’s crush on you began long before yours on him. It made your heart ache just a little when you realized Kiba probably understood how Shikamaru felt better than you ever could. Though you were with Kiba now, he used to be the one who had to watch you be happy with someone else.

Suddenly, Kiba jolted himself upwards, almost knocking you in the nose as he did. Turning to face you, he took your two hands in his and gave them a squeeze.

“You know I mean that, right?” He was almost frantic as he continued on. “I don’t want you to think I don’t, just because I suggested we split up! I know it’s a risk but I really think we can do it.” Then, with fierce, determined eyes he promised, “(Y/n), I’ll never let anything happen to you, I swear.”

Your heart skipped in your chest. Usually such promises made you feel empty, because as a ninja there was no guarantee you would come back safe every time, even if you did everything right. It was the same thing you told Shikamaru when he promised you.

But Kiba’s promise was far from empty, and it warmed you from your inside out.

You gave a tug on his hands, closing the space between you to pull him in for a quick kiss to say, _I know._

His taste was warm, familiar, and sweet. When you finally broke from him, you let your lips hover over his for just a moment before speaking again. 

“We’re going to get through this,” you smiled. “I know we can.”

Kiba nodded, bumping his forehead to yours sweetly. After a moment he stood and helped you up. You both knew it was time to continue on with the mission, regardless of how Shikamaru decided. With Akamaru close behind, you both headed back to the spot where everyone had initially split. 

You found Shikamaru waiting and looking ready to go, though it was clear he was far less agitated than he had been before. Without any push from you needed, Kiba was the first to apologize. 

“Hey man… Sorry for all the stuff I said. I was way out of line,” he said firmly as he approached his friend and teammate. 

With a little pout, Shikamaru shrugged. “Yeah, me too,” he mumbled. You knew this must have been hard for their fragile egos, so you were quite proud of them both. Shikamaru raised a hand to the back of his neck as he continued. “I act like it’s never personal but the thing is,” -he paused, letting out a small sigh- “I never want to make a call that’s going to put the people I care about at risk, you know?”

For a quick moment his eyes flash to you, but afterwards they go back to Kiba and you know he was talking about both of you.

“Yeah, well _that makes two of us,_ ” Kiba grinned. “I’ll trust whatever you wanna do.” 

Shikamaru gave a little chuckle. Then he lifted his arms over his head in a big stretch, like he was shaking off all of the tension from this little tiff and was finally moving on. When he straightened again, he looked to you both with a determined gaze.

“Alright listen,” he said. “We’re going to split up.”

Kiba’s eyes instantly brightened and he looked to you to exchange an excited glance; you couldn’t have been happier that Shikamaru had finally come to his senses and was willing to give Kiba’s plan a shot. 

“Use your headsets,” Shikamaru instructed. “If you start to move out of range come right back. If we lose signal, we’ll all meet right here immediately.”

You and Kiba gave a firm nod in agreement before Shikamaru continued. 

“ _And_ we all agree to have each other’s backs, alright?” -he looked to Akamaru- “ _All_ of us.”

Akamaru gave a happy bark and wag of his tail in response. Your own heart warmed as you saw the smile that was stretching across Kiba’s face. You were so proud of him. You were proud of how far all of you had come, but you absolutely adored watching your boyfriend chase his goals, and you knew earning the approval of his peers meant a lot to him. As shinobi, none of you could promise that every plan was going to work or that every mission was going to be a success. But in that moment, you had nothing but full confidence in your old friend, and the man you loved more than anything else in the world.

Before splitting, you gave Kiba’s hand one more tight, reassuring squeeze and nodded at Shimaru in confirmation. 

“I know we can do this,” you said. 

In your words, they both heard what you did not actually have to speak. 

_I trust you with all my heart._


End file.
